RAVE and WRECK of the week: Oct 13, 2010

Adam Russo and Katie Janeczko’s cover of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel” will stick in your head for days. Janeczko, a senior, and Russo, a junior, posted the video on YouTube recently, and harmonize beautifully throughout the song. They are currently working on more covers and writing their own music, singing together more frequently.

The two began performing together at the open mic nights at the Bobcat Den. Their mutual interest in folk, blues and indie-rock genres sparked their collaborations.

Russo started singing and playing guitar with his father about five years ago. His father taught him how to sing, and his steady practicing has helped him improve as well as write his own material. Russo’s favorite artists include Bob Dylan, The Tallest Man on Earth, Matt Costa, and Tom Petty.

“While I don’t sing professionally, I still find it rewarding and a lot of fun,” Janeczko said.

Janeczko said she admires Jenny Lewis, Melanie Safka, and The New Pornographers.

WRECK of the week: A real-life ‘Truman Show’

The Internet has reached a new level of weird desperation. Jim Carey’s 1998 movie “The Truman Show” features a man who is unaware that his life is actually a popular TV show. In reality, his daily activities are staged and the people he thinks he knows are actors. Executive TV producers Ken Fuchs and Seth Green have put a new spin on this ‘90s movie. According to NBC Connecticut, University of Connecticut graduate Tristan Couvares has opted to broadcast his life to the world for the next six weeks. Premiering on controltv.com, website viewers can make decisions about Couvares’ life regarding his job, what he eats, and who he dates. They’ve taken the same “Truman Show” concept and applied it online. This time, though, his daily routine depends on viewers’ votes. Couvares’ life will stream online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Why is this average guy so interesting to watch? Why should we care what he does or doesn’t do? It seems like controltv.com is another lame approach to attract viewers. People who want to control other people’s actions can hop on their Xbox and call it a day. Reality TV is enough to handle, the public doesn’t need “reality Internet” too.